Spanish national team

Barcelona and Real Madrid are the dominant teams in Spain and they proved it by being the two teams that monopolized nearly half of the spots of La Furia's 30-man roster. Barcelona ended up on top as seven of their players earned call ups. There were some surprises in Vicente Del Bosque's list, but for the most part the players that were expected to be on, were.

Real Madrid 2 - 0 Malaga
(1-0) 35' Cristiano Ronaldo, (2-0) 39' Cristiano Ronaldo
It takes them a while to get going, during which they are normally indebted to Casillas and poor finishing from their opponents, but after a while a couple of flashes of excellence gets Real Madrid out of jail and on the road to three points.

This is the first of two consecutive weeks in which we expect the rankings to go through some massive changes. Don't be scared, it happens every year. After the completion of five match days in each league, the previous season's numbers are dropped from the calculations. Recall, last week, we saw the changes happen in Ligue Un.

It's January so its time for Harry to get busy...apparently.

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So hope you all had a good New Years and Xmas period and even though we are all back at work at least we can get stuck into the footie and the obligatory January madness so lets start with these.

With the 2010 FIFA World Cup less than 100 days away, its time to breakdown the nations that will be participating in The Great Tournament. The Greeks are the final team of Group B to breakdown.
Official Name: Hellenic Football Federation
Nickname: Galanoleyki (Blue & White)
FIFA Confederation: UEFA (Europe)
FIFA Code: GRE
How They Qualified: Def.

Johann Cruyff in his weekly posting in "El Periodico" opines that Barça must score early and often before matches become a slog of constant fouling from the opposition. He predicts a tough season for the Barça boys if they get in the habit of playing in low-scoring matches. Had Barça finished more of their chances in the Atletico Madrid match, Messi would have been on the bench as time dwindled down.

In Spain, one of the New Year's Eve traditions includes eating twelve grapes before the stroke of midnight, one grape for each of the last twelve seconds of the year. Photo courtesy of Camino Z.

As 2010 arrives through the doorstep, La Liga returns with a vengeance from the winter break that seemingly flew by so quickly.

The Roscón de Reyes is traditionally eaten on Epiphany, January 6. A round, candied sweet bread, there is a hidden "Jesus doll" inside the bread, and the person who ends up with the doll is crowned "King of the Day."

Only the players know whether Los Magos (The Magi) left them with treats or a lump of coal in their shoes on Epiphany, but with this weekend's matches upcoming, they can begin the process of maintaining their good form or making up for their naughty play from last year.

Portuguese midfielder Tiago Mendes has been officially presented as an Atlético Madrid player at the club's Vicente Calderon stadium. The Portuguese international and former Benfica, Chelsea FC and Lyon man joins Vicente Calderon Atlético on a six-month loan deal from Italian Serie A side Juventus.

Atletico Madrid blew the Spanish La Liga title race wide open on Sunday with a 2-1 home win over previously undefeated FC Barcelona. Coupled with second-placed Real Madrid's 3-0 win at bottom club Xerez on Saturday, the result means that Barca's lead at the top of the table is down to two points. Former Arsenal man Jose Antonio Reyes set [.

Pep Guardiola's injury-ravaged side suffered their first league defeat of the season as the La Liga race was thrown wide open.
Barcelona's supermen find no answer to Atlético Madrid's Kryptonite.

With the 2010 FIFA World Cup just a few weeks away, its time to breakdown the 32 teams that will be participating in The Great Tournament. Next up is the CONMEBOL nation of Uruguay.
Official Name: Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol
Nickname: La Celeste
FIFA Confederation: CONMEBOL (South America)
FIFA Code: URU
How They Qualified: Def.

UEFA Europa League champions and Copa del Rey finalists Club Atlético de Madrid have unveiled their Nike home and away kits for the 2010/11 season. Here's a look at the strips that Kun Aguero, Diego Forlan and company will wear as they challenge the likes of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona for supremacy in the [.

La Liga 2010/2011: Top 5 Summer Signings is a post from: Just Football

The new La Liga season is upon us and many clubs have been busy over the summer searching for new recruits and completing deals. As ever, there will be a host of new faces to look forward to, as well as players moving around within the league itself.

First-half goals from defender Ricardo Carvalho and standout midfielder Mesut Özil saw Real Madrid continue its 11-year unbeaten run over cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday. The 2-0 result sees Jose Mourinho's men remain atop the Spanish La Liga despite second place Barcelona's 3-1 away win at Getafe.

This is a post by frequent contributor Donald Wine II

The La Liga season is almost a third of the way completed, and so far there have been some expected performances, some disappointments, and some incredible surprises.

I've grabbed La Liga by the....

Before the season, we had many questions: would Jose Mourinho take Real Madrid back to the promised land?

José Mourinho was not impressed either with Atlético Madrid.

As with most local derbies (national derbies such as El Clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona, Le Classique between Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain, De Klassieker between Ajax and Feyenoord, etc. excluded), the derby means a little more to one club than the other.

According to the London Times, Liverpool are after Atlético Madrid's Argentine winger Maxi Rodríguez. You can read more about it here.

Sábado, 9 de enero de 2010
Valladolid vs Atlético Madrid
Sevilla FC vs Racing Santander
Villarreal vs Almeria
Domingo, 10 de enero de 2010
Deportivo La Coruña vs Osasuna
Espanyol vs Real Zaragoza
Málaga vs Athletic Bilbao
Sporting Gijon vs Getafe
Xerez vs Valencia
Real Madrid vs Mallorca
Tenerife vs Barcelona
Gracias por tu visita Estadísticas de Fútbol

El Xerez sigue en picada, el técnico azulino compareció en rueda de prensa tras la finalización del partido. Cuco Ziganda destacó la actitud de sus jugadores y dijo que "es difícil de explicar la derrota de hoy porque en partidos como el de esta tarde o ante el Rácing, hemos creado ocasiones pero no hemos podido puntuar.

The return of La Liga after the Christmas break was largely a drab affair – save for Atlético Madrid's fortuitous win over Sevilla.
Atlético conjure a 'miracle' but Madrid and Barcelona fail to sparkle.

El Barcelona cayó, el Mallorca también y el Atlético de Madrid no da una y es goleado es lo sobresaliente en la Ida de los Octavos de final donde por cierto el gran ausente es el Real Madrid que fue eliminado por el Alcorcón que perdió pero sigue vivo.
Martes, 5 de enero de 2010
1 Barcelona vs Sevilla FC 2
Miércoles, 6 de enero de 2010
1 Celta Vigo vs Villarreal 1
2 Alcorcon vs Racing Santander 3
1 Valencia vs Deportivo La Coruña 2
3 Recreativo Huelva vs Atlético Madrid 0
Jueves, 7 de enero de 2010
2 Hercules vs Osasuna 1
2 Rayo Vallecano vs Mallorca 1
2 Málaga vs Getafe 0
Los partidos de vuelta la próxima semana, consulta el calendario
Gracias por tu visita Estadísticas de Fútbol

Messi regresó a la Liga en grande, al 36, 45 y 75 fueron lo 3 goles con que logró el Hat-Trick y cooperó con la Victoria de Barcelona 5 a o sobre el Tenerife.
El Real Madrid, segundo de la tabla, no se quedó atrás y doblegó al Mallorca por 2 a 0, un Mallorca que ha venido haciendo una buena temporada.

World-renowned architect and Valencia native Santiago Calatrava designed the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, pictured above, one of the iconic landmarks in the city of Valencia.

With the gap widening between Barcelona and Real Madrid and the rest of the league, Valencia, Deportivo La Coruña, and the other potential contenders need to keep winning and hope that the top two slip on some wet spots along the way.

nytimes.com

Global Soccer
Maradona's Task: Harmony From Chaos
By ROB HUGHES

LONDON — The end of Diego Maradona's worldwide ban from his game and the beginning of his greatest challenge, the World Cup in South Africa, are exactly 21 weeks apart.

The lapsed Argentine idol, marginalized since FIFA forbade him from any involvement in soccer after his foul outburst in a broadcast news conference in November, is free to resume as Argentina's head coach this Friday.

Atletico Madrid 3 - 2 Sporting Gijon
(1-0) 12' Forlán, (1-1) 32' Castro (p), (2-1) 54' Assuncao, (3-1) 66' Ibrahima, (3-2) 90' Luis Moran
Wherever they go, goals aren't far behind. After a six goal thriller in the cup, and four goals in their last league encounter, today saw five as Atlético Madrid completed a fruitful week with another league victory.

En Marca, la portada : El campeón hinca la rodilla, a pesar de haber ganado el Barcelona con gol de Xavi al Sevilla, quedó fuera de la Copa del Rey, es la nota del día, a Pep se le va, el primer torneo en el que no queda campeón, el Barcelona es humano.
Resultados ida
1 Barcelona vs Sevilla FC 2
1 Celta Vigo vs Villarreal 1
2 Alcorcon vs Racing Santander 3
1 Valencia vs Deportivo La Coruña 2
3 Recreativo Huelva vs Atlético Madrid 0
2 Hercules vs Osasuna 1
2 Rayo Vallecano vs Mallorca 1
2 Málaga vs Getafe 0
Resultados vuelta
2 Deportivo La Coruña vs Valencia 2
5 Getafe vs Málaga 1
1 Osasuna vs Hercules 0
0 Racing Santander vs Alcorcon 0
0 Sevilla FC vs Barcelona 1
0 Villarreal vs Celta Vigo 1
Jueves 14 de enero de 2010
Atlético Madrid vs Recreativo Huelva
Mallorca vs Rayo Vallecano
Gracias por tu visita Estadísticas de Fútbol

Atlético Madrid are pure entertainment. The Jekyll and Hyde of Spanish football added another chapter to their colourful past as they achieved what no other team had ever achieved in Copa del Rey history; to come back from a first-leg 3 goal deficit. And in typical Atlético style, they did it hard way.

Barcelona 1 - 1 Villarreal
(1-0) 7' Pedro, (1-1) 50' Fuster
Whoever wrote the Camp Nou script for Barcelonas celebration of their six trophy bonanza, a draw with Villarreal surely wasn't part of it. That man Pedro got the hosts off to the perfect start after Thierry Henry had slammed a first time shot onto the bar, and he chested down to fire emphatically past Diego Lopez.

El Atlético no pudo con el Celta de Vigo y todo esta pendiente para la vuelta, el Racing ganó al Osasuna y pone un pié en las semifinales.
Juegos de Ida
Miércoles 20 de Enero de 2010
1 Mallorca VS Getafe 2
0 Deportivo La Coruña VS Sevilla FC 3
Jueves 21 de Enero de 2010
2 Racing Santander VS Osasuna 1
1 Atlético Madrid VS Celta Vigo 1
Juegos de vuelta
Miércoles 27 de Enero de 2010
Sevilla FC VS Deportivo La Coruña 14:00 hrs
Osasuna VS Racing Santander 14:00 hrs
Getafe VS Mallorca 14:00 hrs
Celta Vigo VS Atlético Madrid 14:00 hrs
Gracias por tu visita Estadísticas de Fútbol

The Plaza Mayor in Valladolid presents one of the jewels of Spanish Baroque architecture.

As La Liga heads into the midway point of the season, these next few rounds are some of the hardest of the campaign because the toil of playing for five consecutive months begins to wear on the players and the coaching staff both physically and mentally.

foto de Nahum

ANKARA, Turquía.- De acuerdo a publicaciones de los medios de comunicación en Turquía, el delantero mexicano Giovani dos Santos está cada vez más cerca de ser el refuerzo de lujo del equipo turco Galatasaray, llegaría en condición de préstamo por parte del Tottenham de la Premier League, escuadra que lo tiene desde verano de 2008 y con contrato hasta 2013 ,desafortunadamente no le han dado minutos de juego y no ha podido mostrar su real potencial.

Así lo asegura Mundo Deportivo en una nota que publica recientemente y en donde aseguran que Gio tiene casi amarrado su pase (o cesión) al Galatasaray de Turquía, donde se reencontrará con Frank Rijkaard, quien actualmente dirige en el fútbol turco.

Se espera que en las próximas horas pueda oficializarse el traspaso ya que aún faltan detalles por afinar en dicha transacción pero el sitio en internet asegura que es casi un hecho.

Así lo asegura Mundo Deportivo en una nota que publica recientemente y en donde aseguran que Gio tiene casi amarrado su pase (o cesión) al Galatasaray de Turquía, donde se reencontrará con Frank Rijkaard, quien actualmente dirige en el fútbol turco.

Se espera que en las próximas horas pueda oficializarse el traspaso ya que aún faltan detalles por afinar en dicha transacción pero el sitio en internet asegura que es casi un hecho.

Miércoles 20 de Enero de 2010
1 Mallorca VS Getafe 2
0 Deportivo La Coruña VS Sevilla FC 3
Jueves 21 de Enero de 2010
2 Racing Santander VS Osasuna 1
1 Atlético Madrid VS Celta Vigo 1
Miércoles 27 de Enero de 2010
0 Sevilla FC VS Deportivo La Coruña 1
0 Osasuna VS Racing Santander 3
Jueves 28 de Enero de 2010
Getafe VS Mallorca 14:00 hrs
Celta Vigo VS Atlético Madrid 14:00 hrs
A Semifinales clasificia

• Sevilla
• Racing Santander

Gracias por tu visita Estadísticas de Fútbol

La Iglesia Arciprestal is the focal point in the center of Vila-Real, Spain.

One of the unique characteristics of La Liga is that after the first half of the season, the second half schedule is a carbon copy of the first half, except that the away team will now be the home team. Thus, all those teams who did not achieve the result they desired will have a chance to reverse their fortunes all in the same weekend.

Uma curiosa história contada pelo maisfutebol, sobre a equipa feminina do Atlético Madrid que lidera uma competição masculina de jovens.
"As meninas do Atlético de Madrid estão a deixar dezenas de rapazes a corar de vergonha. A equipa Alevín A, com jogadoras de 10 e 11 anos, lidera o campeonato da categoria em Espanha.

Atletico Madrid 0 - 2 Malaga(0-1) 3' Duda, (0-2) 70' Javi Lopez
Perhaps they had one eye on their Copa del Rey Semi-final this week, or maybe they took a visit from lowly Malaga too lightly. Either way Atlético Madrid fell to a morale-sapping defeat at the hands of a team that started the day in the relegation zone.

If Pep Guardiola needed more worries regarding his decimated backline, Éric Abidal was just piling on. Leg pain during the Blaugrana training session and somewhere Stuttgart are starting to feel a touch braver.
During a special training session at Reus, Abidal felt discomfort in his leg and was excused from training.

Muniesa, Jonathan and Bartra get the call up by Guardiola for Atlético Madrid match read more...
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